Internal-combustion engine



April 12,1927.

i `A. S. HAWKS INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Jan.1s; 1921 Hmm,

//l/ IIIIIIII Patented Apr. l2, 1927.

UNITED STATES f i i9624,1011 PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR S. HAWKS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO BUSCI-I-SULZER BROS.- DIESEL ENGINE COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS7 MISSOURI, A CORFORATION OF MISSOURI.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application led January 1S, 1921. Serial No. 438,067.

The invention relates to internal combustion engine valve gear of the kind that is adjustable while the engine is in motio-n to vary the lift or timing of a. valve or to change over from one valve to another as in the case of engines which are started and initially run by the valved admission of compressed air and later by the valved admission of fuel.

Such adjustable valve gear as heretofore designed are required to be of substantial proportions and of considerablev mass and inertia, and are therefore shit'table only with difficulty when they are in motion and in large sized engines frequently require special motors for shifting them, and if made of lighter design so as to be adaptable to hand operation, have the objection that they transmit the force and shock of the cam niotion to the controlling members or to the operators hand. The purpose of this invention is to provide an adjustable valve gear that is strong and light in weight and also capable of adjustment with little effort. To this end the connection means by which the valve is operated by the valve shaft or cam shaft is composed of hinged links acting like a unitary member when suitably supported but which can be collapsed or distended when required to change its relation to its cam or other operating` element, as later described. A further purpose is to provide a plurality of connection means so related that. the actuation of a single control or rod will cause their respective valves to be brought into operation only in a predetermined sequence. The articulated connector herein disclosed is adapted to these uses and especially to the control of the valves in air started or reversible engines.

In the accompanying single sheet of drawings I have illustrated the invention as applied to an air started engine but it will be obvious that the invention is not limited to the construction shown.

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, showing the mechanism in position for op-V erating the starting air valve the fuel valve being out'of action.

Figure 2 diagrammatically shows the mechanism in an intermedia-te position in which both valves are out of action7 and Figure 3 shows the fuel valve alone in operation.

The cylinder 1 of the internal combustion yond the roller 15.

startthe engine and a valve 5 of the injec- 60 tion type for the liquid fuel on which the engine normally operates; the fuel valve has the usual spring 6 to close it and a bell crank lever 7 that directly operates the valve against the spring. The other cylinders may be assumed to be similarly equipped and all the cylinders may be assumed to be provided with such other valves and gears as are necessary for the operation of the engine. The usual cam shaft 8 that operates the valves of all the cylinders is so driven from the engine crank shaft (not shown) that its valve cams 9 and 10 operate the air and fuel valves respectively and as required.

Vlien starting the engine, the fuel valves 5 are rendered inoperative, or disconnected from their operating cams 10, while the air valves are in action. lVhen the engine has acquired suiiicient speed by air operation, the air valve connectors are displaced from the cams 9 so as to be no longer operative thereby and the connectors of the fuel valves are brought into engagement with the fuel cams 10, so as to cause fuel to be injected according to the normal engine cycle.

The valve connector between the air valve 3 and its operating cam 9 is an articulated member comprising in this instance two links 11 and 14 hinged together at 13, the link 11 90 being jointed to the stem of the air valve and the other link being provided with the usual roller or camfollower 15 which is supported by the link 17 so that it may engage the cam 9. The joint 13 is supported by a 95 link 16 so as to keep the two links in substantial alignment or in such relation that they together act like anordinary push rod for transmitting the cam motion to the valve and conjointly they serve to operate the valve in regularly recurring sequences in phase with the engine cycle. The air starting cam 9 pushes the connector to the left to open the valve and spring 18 closes the valve, returning the connector to the right when the nose of the cam passes be- The movement of the connector to the right under the action of the valve spring is limited by the valve striking its seat while, obviously, the extent crank arm 22 provided with av connecting:

rod 21 extending to the control station. The

shaft 19 may be common to all tliecylinders of the engine and is herein termed the control shaft inasmuch as its function is tocontrol the operation of the air and fuel valves. llith` such shaft held in the extreme position shown in Fig. 1l in which the connector is practically straight, its cam roller penetrates to its'maxin'unn depth into the range of action of the cam 9 and therefore the air valve 3 is subject tot its i'naxiinum lift as the cam shaft rotates. `When however` the control shaft 19 is turned to theleft from itsl position in Fig. 1, as by a downward pull on the rod 2L the joint 1S isdepressed accordingly andthe effective length of the connector is thereby correspondingly shortcned so thatrtlie cani roller lo is withdrawn from the action of the cam to an evtent corresponding to the change of angular position of the control shaft. llssuming that? y the control shaft movement has only partly `Withdrawn the cam follower the cam Will continue to strike the roller 15 and move the connector to the left but obviously under these circumstances impartsv a less opening movement to the valve, and it will'r be apparent that further movement of the control shaft will further diminish the action of the valve, eventually causing it to cease entirely.

According toy this invention the further movement of the control shaft beyond the point which disengages the air valve gear, is available for similarly controlling. the fuel valve. either through the 'same or a different form of valve connection; for eX ample the fuel valve bell crank 7 may be operated by a` simple push rod flepivoted to it and supported at its cam end by aI swinging link 26 hung from an eccentric' point ot support on' control shaft 19 as indicated in Fig. 3 and provided with the usual cam follower at this end to engage the fuel cam 10 which may be assumed to be located adjacent the air cam 9 on sha-ft 8. The link 2G is of such length that when the air valve gear is active the roller Will' bev out of the range of the fuel camv` being below it inthe present case and as slioivn in Figs. 1 and 2,` but when the control shaft is rotated as above described it is lifted and the push rod is thereby brought into the position in which it will be recipiLoc-,ated bv the fuel cam. to cause the injection' of fuel into the engine.' Desirably suchreciprocation will begin to occur immediately that the camroller 1.5 is safely out ofthe range of the air cam, and as indicated' by the dotted lines-in Fig. 2, but thisl isa matter of design and. can be varied as required. Further left handturningof the control shaft7 brings the. cam follower 25 further into the range of its cam 10 as soon as the position ofFig. Q isl passech rllhe limit of the movement toward the fuel cam is shown in F 3 in which the connector lies in the straight line joining the valve lever 7 and the cam shaft; the maximum opening' movement of the fuel valve is secured with the connector in' this position. Figs. 2 and 3 the degree of opening of the fuel valve as well as its timing is obviously variable according to the positionof' the connector. It follouf'slthat therange of opera tion of the fuel valve lies between Figs. 2'

these purposes and serving also if desired as the means of regulationv of the fuel vinjection for normal engine ruiming.V ln the ease of reversible engines the shift of the cani shaft or of the connectors can be effected in the neutral interval represented by 2 when the cams andboth valvel connectors are relieved of their normal pressure. Certain featuresof thestructure above described are shown in my copending application.

Claims;`

1". ln'acombustzion engine, the combination of avvalve thereof, anactuator for said' valve`r and a push-rodv type of connector composed of links hinged toea'ch other. one end of the assemblage of links beingy in op erating relation to thek valve and the other end. in operating relation to said actuator: and means for maintaining the linlls in af substantially linedI relation to each other during successive actuations of the connector by said actuator.

In a. combustion engine, the combination of a valve thereof, an actuator'for said valve, and a. push-rod type of connector con'lposedof links hinged to each'. other, one end of such assemblage of links being in operating` relation to the valve andj the other end in operating relation to said actuator. and' a swinging link supporting a Ijoint of said assemblage, said swinging link being supported at a point remaining fixed in position during successive actuations of the connector by said actuator.

3. In a combustion engine, the combina- Betiveen' the. limit' positions of ll l o tion of a valve thereof, a rotating cam to actuate said valve, and a connector between said valve and cam composed of two links hinged to each other, one end ot said hinged structure being arranged to be thrust against by said cam and the other end being arranged to actuate the valve as the hinged structure is actuated by the cam thrust, and a swinging link to support the joint between the rst mentioned links, said swinginglink being supported from a. point remaining in fixed position during successive actuations ot' the connector by the cam.

4. The combination of claim 3, characterized by the fact that the end of the hinged structure which is arranged to be thrust against by the cam, is supported by a swinging link.

5. The combination ot' claim 3 characterized by the fact that the end of the hinged structure adjacent the valve, is hinged to the valve.

6. The subject matter ot' claim l, in combination with controlling nie-ans for changing the position ot the means mentioned tor maintaining the links in substantially fixed relation to each other, so as to change the relation of the links to each other and thereby change the operation of the valve bythe actuator.

7. In a combustion engine, the combination of a valve thereof, a rotating cam Jfor actuating said valve., a push-rod type ot connector composed of links hinged to each other, one end of such assemblage otl links being in operating relation to the valve and the other end in operating relation to said cam, a. swinging link to support a joint otl said assemblage, and a controller on which said swinging link is supported, said controller being arranged to hold the point of support of said swinging link fixed in position during successive actuations of the connector b v said cam and to move the swinging link from one position to another' at will to change the relation of the links of the assemblage to each other.

S. The combination in an internal combustion engine, of a valve, an actuating element for said valve, an articulated connector, a supporting member hinged to said con nector at a joint thereof, and relatively fixed means to which the supporting member is hinged, said means serving to holdthe connector within the operating range ot' the valve actuating element for successive regularly recurring operations of the connector by said actuating element and being movable to move the connector into and out ofthe operating range ot' the actuating element.

9. The combination in an internal combustion engine, ot' valve means, an actuating element, therefor. an articulated connector hinged at one end to said valve means, the opposite end ot' said connector engaging said actuating element, a rotatable control shaft, a link hinged eccentrically to said shaft to support the joint of said articulated member, and a hinged link to support that end of said articulated member which engages the actuating element.

10. The combination in an internal combustion engine, otl valve means, actuating elements for said valve means, an articulated connector arranged to engage one ot said actuating elements, a second connector arranged to engage another of said actuating elements, and means for changing the posit-ion of the joint o't said articulated connector to move the latter into and out of the operating range of its actuating element, said means simultaneously moving said second connector toward and from the operating range ot its actuating element.

11. The combination in an internal combustion engine, ot valve means, actuating elements tor said valve means, an articulated connector of the push-rod type between said valve means and one ot' said actuating' elements to transmit motion from the latter to the toi-mer, a second connector between said valve means and another of said actuating elements, a rotatable control shaft, and links hinged eccentric to said shat't for supporting a joint of said articulated connector and supporting the second connector so that turning the shaft simultaneously moves the articu? lated connector toward and the second connector from the operating range ot' their respective actuating elelnent and vice versa.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

ARTHUR S. HAVKS. 

